A PLACE BEYOND YOUR DREAMS. A MOVIE BEYOND YOUR IMAGINATION. Following a notorious aborted attempt by Alejandro Jodorowsky in the 1970s, Frank Herbert’s bestselling sci-fi epic Dune finally made it to the big screen as the third film by emerging surrealist wunderkind David Lynch, featuring an all-star cast that includes several of Lynch’s regular collaborators. The year is 10,191, and four planets are embroiled in a secret plot to wrest control of the Spice Melange, the most precious substance in the universe and found only on the planet Arrakis. A feud between two powerful dynasties, House Atreides and House Harkonnen, is manipulated from afar by ruling powers that conspire to keep their grip on the spice. As the two families clash on Arrakis, Duke Atreides’ son Paul (Kyle MacLachlan, in his screen debut) finds himself at the center of an intergalactic war and an ancient prophecy that could change the galaxy forever. Though its initial reception ensured that Lynch largely eschewed mainstream filmmaking for the rest of his career, Dune has since been rightly re-evaluated as one of the most startlingly original and visionary science fiction films of the 1980s. Its astonishing production design and visual effects can now be appreciated anew in this spellbinding 4K restoration, accompanied by hours of comprehensive bonus features.
For thoughts on Dune (1984), please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
Arrow Films presents Dune (1984) with a tremendous 2160p transfer in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio sourced from a 4K restoration of the original 35mm camera negative and graded in 4K HDR/Dolby Vision. One of the most striking aspects of the disc is the application of Dolby Vision for increased color output that takes this visually sumptuous film and harnesses every ounce of pigment-perfect nuance out of it. The new restoration from Koch Films features some colors in the otherworldly settings such as the magnificent orange desert that pop off the screen with a vibrant intensity. This disc handles every environmental change from the subtly advanced interiors of the Harkonnen to the expanses of Arrakis with ease. The black levels are outstanding with nothing in the way of crush present, and white levels are solid as a rock with no evidence of blooming. Nearly every single moment is a visual treat.
The level of detail and clarity is stunning with the nearly perfect amount of natural film grain intact. The grain resolves well with no fluctuations detected outside the most minor moments of spiking. The texture on display in the costumes and within the setting are a revelation. Even the makeup effects blend naturally which conjures something beautifully grotesque in the case of some characters. The composited effects stand out a bit more with the increased resolution, but this is a minor tradeoff for crisp quality. This transfer does not register anything in the way of print damage. This presentation is true to the original look of the film with the added resolution making elements seem more natural. There does not appear to be any jarring digital anomalies such as compression artifacts, banding or any other such nuisances. This presentation is a knockout effort from the crew at Arrow Video.
Audio Quality
This 4K UHD Blu-Ray comes with both a lossless DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0 Master Audio track that makes the film extra immersive. Dune has a lot of great atmospheric effects that engage the surround speakers including the steady winds of Arrakis and sounds of the sandworm. Dialogue comes through crystal clear in the front channel without being overwhelmed by any sound effects or score. The track has a good sense of directionality with sounds always emanating from the appropriate channels. The movie is filled with some thrilling moments of action, which puts the low end to work pretty consistently. The music from Toto provides the unique atmosphere for this larger-than-life story which fills the speakers well. There are no issues with fidelity or damage to the track. This audio presentation is pretty fantastic even without an upgraded audio mix to go along with the video upgrade.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary #1: Film historian Paul M. Sammon provides a very unique and entertaining commentary track in which he relays his involvement in the project while offering up stories of adapting the story, working with David Lynch, other projects he worked on from the same era, the film’s promotional push, disagreements that were had in the creation of this film and more. This is an especially valuable track as you get personal details that help put things into
- Audio Commentary #2: Mike White of The Projection Booth podcast provides another terrific commentary track which takes a more objective approach as he analyzes the adaptation, points out the differences between the script and finished product, the rocky road that Lynch faced when trying to craft this one, the performers that were assembled to craft this one, and so much more. White does not argue that this is some misinterpreted masterpiece, but he does attempt to defend it against some of the harsher criticism.
- Impressions Of Dune: A 40-minute archival documentary from 2003 featuring subjects such as star Kyle MacLachlan, producer Raffaella de Laurentiis, cinematographer Freddie Francis, editor Antony Gibbs and many others. In this piece, there is a sense that each person is aware of the shortcomings of the finished product, but they still speak with great eloquence about the drive to bring this tricky material to the screen, the distinct visuals of Lynch, the casting and performances, the themes of the text, the collaborations on set, the film’s reception and more.
- Designing Dune: A nine-minute archival featurette from 2005 looking back at the work of production designer Anthony Masters, the diverse team that helped bring this world to life, the sketches from David Lynch, and so much more. Interview subjects include crew members Giles Masters, Ron Miller, Kevin Phipps, Benjamin Fernandez and Steve Cooper.
- Dune FX: A six-minute archival featurette from 2005 which takes a closer look at the hundreds of special effects shots that make up the film, what went into pulling them off, the groundbreaking nature of the work of the time and more. Interview subjects include crew members Kit West, John Baker, Trevor Wood, Rodney Fuller, Jon Hatt, and Gary Zink.
- Dune Models & Miniatures: A seven-minute archival featurette from 2005 which takes a closer look at the inventive designs of the film, the miniatures and models that helped bring Lynch’s vision to life, how they used live action and motion-controlled shots, and more that is very illuminating. Interview subjects include producer Raffaella de Laurentiis and crew members Charles Finance, Golda Offenheim, Emilio Ruiz del Rio, Brian Smithies and Eric Swenson.
- Dune Costumes: A five-minute archival featurette from 2005 which takes a closer look at the 9,000 costumes that were needed for the film, the time crunch the designers were on throughout production, how they went about showing character traits through their appearance, and much more. Interview subjects include crew members Bob Ringwood, Debbie Phipps, Michael Jones and Mark Siegel.
- Deleted Scenes with Introduction by Raffaella de Laurentiis: A three-minute introduction from de Laurentiis is provided in which she addresses the fabled four-hour cut of Dune and the reality of the footage. We then get 14 minutes of unused footage including more exposition from Princess Irulan, a tense scene with Shadout Mapes, more moments between Paul and Chani, and more.
- Destination Dune: A vintage 1983 featurette which was shot to promote the film at conventions and the like. This is a fascinating bit of film history.
- Trailers & TV Spots: This disc includes the Theatrical Trailer #1 (3:09), Theatrical Trailer #2 (1:31), US TV Spots (1:37) and the VHS Promo (0:37).
- Image Galleries: The disc contains image galleries for Production Stills, Behind The Scenes, Cast Portraits, Production Design and Poster & Video Art.
Final Thoughts
Dune (1984) is an ambitious attempt from David Lynch to bring an immensely complex book to the silver screen. With the success of the recent Denis Villeneuve version, we now know that such an adaptation can work under the right circumstances, but this particular attempt functions more like an exposition dump with Lynch weirdness seeping through in the visuals. The film is not really good, but there is a lovable oddball quality to it that some will admire more than others. If you are a Lynch fan, you owe it to yourself to at least check this one out. Arrow Video has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring an A+ audio/visual presentation and a nice array of special features that aid in your appreciation for the film. Even if it is not perfect, it is nice to have this one around for when you want to get weird. Recommended
Dune (1984) is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Arrow Video has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
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Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
